The transition from posture to posture is facilitated by either an inhalation or an exhalation, allowing the practitioner to link their breath to the posture. The repetitive nature of Surya Namaskar fosters a meditative practice, in which little thought needs to be given to the movement once it has been learned. This 12-asana series represents the circle of life. Each of the 12 asanas co-relates to the 12 astrological sun signs in which the sun passes through in one year. 

Why 108?

108 is a sacred & significant number that shows up in many areas of the Yoga culture.

• Mala bead necklaces have 108 beads, which are used to count during meditation

• In Ayurveda, there are 108 sacred points on the body

• There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 times 2 is 108.

• In astronomy, the distance between the Sun and Earth is roughly 108 times the Sun’s diameter

During 108 Sun Salutations, you will at some point think, “Why did I sign up for this?” If you keep going, you will find a state of ease, and even a sense of flow. You will surrender to the process, acknowledge what arises emotionally, and then let it go. When you finish, you will feel lighter and find meaning in this ancient ritual.

-yogiapproved.com

Practicing 108 Namaskars is a great way to find the balance of the body. You will push yourself further at the same time listen to where you are and what your body needs. As you become exhausted to complete more, take a Childs pose to reconnect and come back into the practice even stronger. The goal of 108 Namaskara is not to complete each sequence but to find your pace, breath and flow and to listen to where your body & mind are with each round.  Stopping or modifying your practice is not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of strength because you are in tune with your body.

Staying Calm to Combat Triggers

Triggers are substances that can impact lives if not properly dealt with and it is important to face them head on as hiding from triggers is an unsustainable method. Taking triggers head on involves a calm, focused and determined state of mind. Easier said than done for sure but finding areas to focus on can lighten the task. Focusing on your breath is a highly effective form of staying calm during a trigger reaction. Counting up to your full inhale then counting down your exhale brings you to the present moment while calming the mind. Once a calm state is entered your next step can be taken with a logical frame of mind. Try recognizing that you are having an emotional response for your next step, identify the source of the trigger and separate your relationship. 

A Calm State and Your Nervous System 

The sympathetic nervous system is your fight or flight response, whereas your parasympathetic nervous system is often considered the rest and digest response. A calm state of mind allows the body to send an influx of feel-good hormones to your nervous system bringing you into a parasympathetic state. This position allows for healing, proper digestion, lower heart rate and basically keeps your body working as it should. Some ways you may be able to physically see/feel your body in a parasympathetic state is by an increase in salivation, Lacrimation (tears), urination, digestion & defecation. This state of being is found in our Yoga practice through every session we take. Meditation and Restorative Yoga are the greatest systems of achieving this state, but you will also find it at the end of each class when you lay in savasana, by taking a resting pose in the middle of the class, and anytime you regain connection with your breath you find a state of calm and allow your nervous system to rest. 

When it comes to your sympathetic nervous system, it’s not all fear and destruction based. This state of being allows for more oxygen to enter the body, sends extra blood to the muscles and introduces an infusion of glucose to the bloodstream. Exercise is a way to activate this system without being in danger. 

Through the practice of Asana we find ourselves in positions that are challenging enough to trigger the sympathetic nervous system then turn right around and reactivate the parasympathetic nervous system. Because both systems are detrimental to our survival keeping both active and balanced is essential to our health. So while the flight or fight response does serve its purpose it is important that we can actively turn that function off when it’s not needed and our Yoga practice gives us all the tools to do so. 

Reintroduce a Calm State to Bring You Back Into the Moment

In the life that we live stimuli are everywhere. We often have a list of tasks that “need” to be completed or a phone nearby with distractions beaming out of it. These distractions often show up demanding our attention when our attention is likely better elsewhere. Holding a baby, reading a book, lunch with a loved one are examples of times that your attention should not be pulled in different directions. Learning to come to a state of calm can bring you back to the moment you are in and redistribute your attention back to the opportunity at hand. 

Recap: How does yoga help with staying calm

• breathing through difficult postures

• a quiet space to just be

• purposeful movements 

• be in the moment

• breathing techniques to take with you and use when needed 

Ujjāyī : ooh-JAI-yee

The breath training of the class. Ujjayi is the type of breathing technique we use as we move through our postures, this alone can simultaneously relax and energize you. It includes an inhale through the nostrils and an exhale through the nostrils. That may sound simple but without practice it can be rather difficult to find and perform while in a physical bind (one hand hooked under the leg to the other over the back).

Physical Benefits:

One way Ujjayi breath creates physical changes in the body is by regulating the heating of the body. The friction coming from the air passing through the throat and lungs generate internal body heat.

Ujjayi can calm the nervous system. Because Ujjayi breath stimulates the Vagus nerve, it gives a calming sensation to the nervous system.

According to the National Center on Health, a Yoga practice including Ujjayi breath may improve your concentration, sleep, and help manage stress.

Spiritual Benefits: Ujjayi breath, being the breath that carries life force, inspires deep inward exploration. Because of the controlled rhythm practitioners are able to maintain focus but like all elements of yoga, it requires practice, patience, and an open mind and heart.

Practice the technique:

In ujjayi breathing, both inhalation and exhalation are done through the nose. 

As you inhale and exhale:

• Keep your mouth closed.
• Constrict your throat to create an ocean sound coming in and out.
• Use your diaphragm to house the oxygen.
• Keep your inhalations and exhalations equal in duration.
• Keep the tongue neutral, if difficult keep the tip of tongue to the bottom of the teeth.  

When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace.

What is Meditation?

A means of focusing your attention to allow relaxation and mindfulness. Meditation will give back exactly what you put into it. This technique has been around for centuries and spans many cultures around our world.

How long can you focus on a task without getting distracted?

To have a longer attention span is a skill that needs to be exercised. Practicing Meditation can retrain the mind to focus for longer and become a more effective listener, speaker and partner.

Stress reduction is one of the most common reasons to why people try meditation and it has been concluded that meditation lives up to its reputation.

Normally, mental and physical stress cause increased levels of the stress hormone “Cortisol” This produces many of the harmful effects of stress, such as the release of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines. In an 8-week study, a meditation style called “mindfulness meditation” reduced the inflammation response caused by stress.

As Yoga Journal explains “Modern neuroimaging technology like fMRI machines provide more detailed brain scans than ever before. Researchers can now see the long-term effects of practicing meditation on neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to form new connections, especially in response to learning or experiencing something new. Just as exercise develops your muscles, practicing presence through meditation strengthens neural connections. Meditation, asana, and pranayama stimulate your brain, which helps prevent atrophy and functional decline. Positive effects have been seen in long-time meditators who practice for as little as 10 minutes a day. “

Interested in getting a meditation practice started? We have beginners meditation workshops coming up! Check out our Events page for the next one.

If you’re looking to add more to your Yoga practice, maybe give aromatherapy a chance. Sort of like a “Yogaroma”. Bring the sense of smell into play, mix that with your sense of breath in yoga, and you could have your self some inner peace. The senses are a big part in our Yoga practice but they’re not used as you would originally think. In Yoga instead of searching outward for information, we strive to find what is going on inward. Even when performing active, vigorous poses; we find what works with our body and try and connect within. Our senses help us navigate our environment, our Yoga helps us navigate our bodies; and aromatherapy can help bring them closer together. Diffusing or just smelling essential oils can bring your practice into a whole new vibe. Essential oils have a way of bringing natural senses along with natural feelings into our environment.

Certain essential oils can give you a much needed break from the stress of the day and help improve focus. Unlike candles and air fresheners, oil diffusers release cleansing molecules into your air that work to purify it, not overload it with unhealthy chemicals.

Because of the possibilities essential oils bring it is very important to know how and why you use them. Essential oils can be inhaled, either directly out of the bottle or in a diffuser filling a room. They can also be diluted and added to a carrier oils to be used on the skin. You can also get creative with your oils and add them to mixtures or dilute the oil to ingest for health.

I have personally been using essential oils for many years now. I mostly use mine topically meaning I use them in my lotions and hair products. I create personal lotions for myself with all natural ingredients and I like to add the essential oils to small batches of hair product to change the aroma or vibe i’m creating. I also use them in my meditation practice for numerous reasons and in a diffuser for parties, sleeping, and a ton of events in between. I even use them around my home. I totally recommend using wool balls for drying your laundry and adding different essential oils to different batches of clothing. For example I use Eucalyptus for my towels and Lavender for my bed sheets just to name a few.

Essential oils are a great tool to have on hand for numerous reasons! They can be handy in all sorts of different ways and used within your entire life. For more information on how to incorporate them into a healthy lifestyle, find our next webinar with the experts!

– Alicia @ BKSFLD Yoga